AT&T focuses on retail with a 10,000-square foot megastore in Chicago

AT&T has taken a cue from Apple and Microsoft and is focusing on its retail strategy, opening a glossy new flagship store this Saturday in Chicago.

The store is a showplace for AT&T to flaunt the best tablets, smartphones, and other devices it supports, all in a wide-open, bright, colorful space where customers can browse, lounge, and learn.

“Our Michigan Avenue store is where customers can immerse themselves in everything AT&T is about and truly explore the technology we have to offer,” said the carrier’s president of retail sales and service, Paul Roth, in a statement on the store opening.

“AT&T is about delivering innovation that makes a difference in our customers’ daily lives. All of that will be ready for customers to experience at our flagship store.”

Here’s a clip the company made to introduce its new store:

AT&T already has around 2,300 retail stores around the U.S., but the company says that in addition to showing off its phones and tablets, the new megastore will also give customers a sense of what AT&T plans to do in the future, from home automation to onboard software for cars.

The store will also include an “apps bar,” a “lifestyle boutique” featuring products for different consumer profiles (business folks, health nuts, social media types, etc.), and a gallery of accessories designed by local artists.

Here’s how it’ll all fit together:

“Customers will not only be able to interact with and purchase our products, but they will also experience the forefront of evolving wireless technology and see how AT&T is leading it,” said Roth.